Is getting stronger or gaining muscle a goal you have too? If so, remember that without a solid nutrition plan — along with a smart workout plan of course — you’re leaving progress on the table.

While that plan will look a little different for everyone, there are some principles you can use to get better results.

Today, I’m sharing those along with a full example day of how I was eating during a strength phase, which I ended recently to transition to a “cut” or fat loss phase (more on that one later).

For reference before we dive in, this day of eating was around 140g of protein, 300g of carbs, 55g of fat, and 2255 calories. I was doing about 4-5 days of strength training (no metcons or high intensity) and one short run per week.

Please remember, my macros are not your macros. 

This doesn’t mean you should eat the macros above or the exact meals below. However, I know it’s always helpful to see examples, so I hope this gives you some ideas to apply to your own nutrition.

And if you want to better understand the right macros and portions for your body and goals, definitely reach out! You can set up a free strategy session here, or simply reply to this email and let me know your goal and what a typical day of eating looks like for you.

To make this more applicable to everyone, I also want to share some key principles to keep in mind:

Eat enough protein. (For most people, this will look like a generous serving of protein-rich foods at each meal, plus one to two protein-rich snacks per day.)

Spread your protein out evenly throughout the day for optimal recovery and to prevent muscle breakdown.

Eat near your maintenance calories or in a slight caloric surplus for lean gains. (This amount is going to look different for everyone. If you need help figuring this out, reach out here.)

Eat plenty of carbs. (Higher carb diets are usually optimal because carbs provide fuel for great workouts, help your muscles recover stronger, and prevent your body from breaking down muscle to use as fuel instead.)

Don’t overdo it on cardio. (As a CrossFitter and runner, this was a tough one for me, but your body needs to put those extra calories towards your muscles.)

Alright, onto the meals!

Meal 1 (Breakfast): 

• one egg, egg whites, ground turkey, & spinach scramble
• ½ c oats with frozen berries
• one piece of gluten-free toast

Meal 2 (Lunch): 

• mixed greens, bell pepper, shredded chicken, avocado, sweet potato; 
• olive oil, lemon juice, & apple cider vinegar for dressing

Meal 3 (Snack): 

• toast & rice cake with peanut butter, banana, and a little honey

Meal 4 (Post-Workout): (not pictured)

• shake with whey protein and highly branched cyclic dextrin for carbs

Meal 5 (Dinner): 

• ahi tuna, jasmine rice, broccoli with shallots and garlic

I hope that was helpful! And if you’re not sure how much you should be eating to reach your goals, you can set up a free Nutrition Strategy Session here.